Tortellini
Tortellini are a delicate handmade pasta filled with a mixture of pork loin, beef, ham, and mortadella blended with Parmigiano Reggiano and a pitch of nutmeg, and served in capon broth at Christmas time. The plump pockets of pasta when made are folded around the pinky in Bologna, while in Modena they are folded around the tip of the index finger.
Tortellini date back to Middle Ages where recipes were found as early as the 12th century. There are many legends of their origin, and in Modena, food historians claim the tortellini were created there after a local innkeeper sneaked a peek through her door’s keyhole and spotted the navel of Renaissance beauty Lucrezia Borgia.
Bologna, rivalry to Modena, claims tortellini were invented there and modeled after the navel of Venus, the goddess of love.
Tortellini are a tradition pasta loved by all Italians!!!
- 4 eggs
- 280 grams flour "00"
- 120 grams wheat flour
- 100 grams pork loin
- 100 grams beef
- 50 grams ham
- 80 grams mortadella
- 80 grams Parmigiano Reggiano
- 1 egg (if needed)
- Nutmeg
Making the fountain with the flour, break your eggs in and beat them with a fork, slowly incorporating the flour. Knead with the palm of your hand until mixture is smooth and homogeneous. Allow to stand for 20-30 minutes wrapped in foil. Roll the dough thin.
Cook briefly loin slices in a nonstick skillet. Blend the loin with prosciutto, mortadella and parmesan. Mix very well
together with a little egg and add the nutmeg. Cut the dough into squares 3x3 cm.Put a little of the filling into the centre of each square. Then fold each square of pasta into a triangle, pressing the edges down firmly so the contents cannot escape in boiling, then hold the tip, pinch a side and roll around the index finger to obtain the shape of a "navel of Venus".
Boil a few minutes in a good broth.